Apparently my rut has a name, and it's "Eeyore".

I'm not sure how I ended up with so many magazine subscriptions, but every month they pile up on my nightstand and I wander through them. At the moment I subscribe to Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart Living, Real Simple, Redbook, Parents, Parenting, Woman's Day, Taste of Home, Simple & Delicious (I think that's what it's called), possibly something I've forgotten, and (don't mock me) Ladies' Home Journal. Yes, I'm pushing 30, not 50 and I have no idea how I ended up with this subscription, but I have it, so I read it. I read pretty voraciously, so I need lots of material. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. So there.

Anyway, there was an extremely interesting article in the January issue called "Step Outside Your Life". All about how women get caught up in day-to-day life and routines and forget to try new things and become creatures of habit (I'm sure you can see where this is going), and some ways to try and break out of that a little. Well, there was an accompanying quiz, and I've loved those since my Seventeen days. I was reading at the dinner table (no mom, you never succeeded in getting me to stop that, sorry), so David took the quiz with me. It was called "How Curious Are You?" I'd link you to it now that I have linking skills, but they don't have it on the website. I know because I checked. I'd put the whole text in here, but I'd rather not have the writer (thank you Ms. Renkl, I enjoyed your article) fuss because I'm sure I'd be infringing on something. If you also enjoy quizzes to an abnormal agree, you can find this issue on newsstands, or that's what the library is for.

So a sample question was : If I had an extra hour a week, I'd: A) Actually read the selections from my book club, B) Take a class- maybe learn Italian or try Kickboxing, c) Sleep.

Answers that demonstrate your quest for knowledge or new experience get you more points. At the top of the heap in the 25-33 point range were the Curious Georges. They pretty much throw caution and planning to the wind and go nuts. I congratulate them and think they must be secretly very stressed out. Then there are the Nancy Drews in the 16-24 point range. They seem to be hip to trends and a bit quirky and up on the gossip. They are encouraged, if they love sushi, to learn how to make it. I assume, knowing how these quizzes work, that this was the healthy answer that we should all strive to be like. Experimental, but not wacky in a jumping off a building holding onto a balloon type of way.

In the 15 and under point range are the Eeyores. I know we're Eeyores because I had 14 points and David had 13. This is what it says about Eeyores: "It seems everything you needed to know you've ignored since kindergarten. Maybe you're just stuck in a rut, or maybe you're too stressed to have a thought to yourself, let alone a question for someone else. But it takes only a second to open your eyes and look around- you'd be surprised at what you may find."

It's a bit depressing to know that after spending time striving for a comfortable routine to give our girls the stable foundation that will give them the confidence to branch out and become their own little selves, as recommended in a whole lot of parenting and psychology books, we have apparently stifled ourselves in sacrifice.

And we are very happy that way.